In a brief scrum with reporters this morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he'll miss Ed Koch's larger than life spirit, and noted that although they were on opposite sides during two historic campaigns in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Koch endorsed Cuomo in his two successful statewide campaigns.

"He was bigger than life. He was in your face. He was an ethnic. He was not here to blend in," said Cuomo."He was sassy, he was inspirational" and "he will be sadly missed by me."

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I asked Cuomo how he came to get those two endorsements. The governor didn't reveal much in the way of personal anecdote (reporters asked him for details twice), but he said he and Koch agreed on a wide array of issues and both men recognized that was what was most important.

"The mayor understood the rhythm of politics and the back-and-forth of politics," and "I told him it would be personally meaningful to me to have his support."